CASE STUDIES

Story #1

Keurig’s “#BrewTheLove” campaign w/ James Corden

Challenge:

Keurig was looking for households who were loyalists to drip coffee machines. On an early August morning, James Corden would surprise them with a bold “wake-up call” to see how Keurig measured up to their traditional standard! But this casting proved challenging: our team, as well as our clients, were surprised to discover that the majority of households were already devoted Keurig users!

Approach:

GENUINE took a multi-pronged approach to this project incorporating extensive market research and street recruiting strategies, in order to fully investigate and find exactly the right families. Armed with our expert interviewing skills, rigorous knowledge of FTC guidelines, and market research savvy, our team found the perfect Keurig-free, but coffee-curious households, vetted the best candidates, and ensured compliant testimonials every step of the way.

Results:

Mission accomplished! The final spot made quite the splash. Our participating families were a perfect fit for this difficult spec. They received the surprise of a lifetime from the late-night host along with a newfound appreciation for Keurig coffee.

Story #2

Microsoft Office 365, Surface and Surface Pro campaign

Challenge:

GENUINE searches far and wide to find fascinating innovators who use technology to help visualize their work and bring it to life in the highly successful, ongoing, Microsoft campaign. The goal is to find super star industry leaders otherwise obscured by their their impressive projects, businesses, and creations. For a recent real people casting round, GENUINE found and vetted Leann Emmert, Pacific Rim 2 Location Manager and Bujar Muharremi, custom motorcycle designer.

Approach:

GENUINE is able to take a transparent casting approach to these projects, however in order to succeed, employs due diligence and nuanced, multifaceted outreach to make contact with high-level industry leaders and busy creatives. With those techniques, a keen interview style, in-depth research, and attention-to-detail, our skilled project managers have already managed to recruit and interview almost 700 exciting candidates for Microsoft. Along the way GENUINE created its own RealPeopleBook, a cloud-based casting platform where candidates’ profiles are stored, shared, and commented on, saved for exclusive client access.

Results:

This campaign began in early 2016 and is still going strong with GENUINE and m:united, the creative agency behind Microsoft, working together, casting 20 individuals and counting for various spots. Keep your eyes peeled for the next one!

Story #3

Excedrin’s “The Migraine Experience,” Winner of Cannes Lion 2016

Challenge:

Excedrin recruited GENUINE to fulfill a very specific concept. They wanted us to find migraine sufferers who preferred Excedrin as their OTC pain relievers for their debilitating visual symptoms. They also wanted these patients to have a close loved one or colleague who did not themselves experience migraines and could therefore not fully relate to what the individual was going through. With so many narrow, yet crucial, specifications, the casting posed a massive challenge.

Approach:

Our team used market research expertise to recruit true migraine sufferers who felt isolated by their symptoms and from the other half of their duo, who did not experience migraines at all. If that wasn’t challenging enough, we then had to tackle identifying the pairs with the most impactful authenticity and connections. GENUINE applied over 20 years of experience to sift through and find stand-out Real People candidates who exuded empathy and could tell an emotional story. Through personal guidance and support we escorted qualified participants through the fast pace of production, enabling them to focus on their emotional stories.

Results:

A massive success, the campaign received two Lions at Cannes in 2016, leading the charge for VR and AR advertising innovation. By integrating innovative experiential technology with GENUINE Real People stories, Excedrin told an emotionally impactful story of human connection, empathy, and shared experience.

Story #4

British Airways “A Ticket to Visit Mum”: We dare you not to cry

Challenge:

British Airways was looking for an Indian man in his 20s, living in New York City, with strong ties to a mum in Mumbai. The airline’s proposition: they’d fly mum’s home cooking across the Atlantic to surprise her NYC-based son. Instead, they brought the son to the mum—and caught their tearful reunion on camera.

Approach:

Both mum and son—each of whom would have screen time—needed to have camera appeal. They had to have a special bond; mum would have to be an accomplished home cook; and the reunion needed to be significant. GENUINE dove deep into NYC’s Indian community—leveraging our own most relevant networks and resources. We simultaneously vetted candidates and their “mums,” and tackled logistical considerations, too.

Results:

We found an ideal pair. Our “mum” hadn’t seen her son in years, not since he left home at 17—making for an emotional reunion. With 1,566,514 views, the video went viral and positioned British Airways as a brand that cares. Watch it: we dare you not to cry.

Story #5

Lean Cuisine: #WeighThis

Challenge:

Lean Cuisine’s #WeighThis campaign is an empowering look at a new way for women to “weigh” themselves. Finding the right women—relatable storytellers—would require a subtler, more nuanced strategy.

Approach:

Apparently, women have a hard time recognizing—or speaking about—their accomplishments. With a knack for making people feel comfortable to share, we encouraged women to open up, allowed them to gradually reveal themselves and own their successes.

Results:

At 1.198M views, the video went viral. As a female company ourselves, we know it inspired women everywhere to identify their accomplishments within themselves—and acknowledge them.

Story #6

Aquafresh: Surprise Testimonial

Challenge:

Aquafresh® was promoting its new Extreme Clean® toothpaste. The brand sought real people to play a “prank” on spouses and partners by switching out their current toothpaste, catching their partners mid-brush, and recording their reactions on their smart phones. The footage from the smart phone would be used in the actual commercial.

Approach:

We had to recruit the accomplice to participate in a market research project and train them to shoot the video on their smart phone while asking questions that would elicit reactions from the brushers.

Results:

The commercial, shot totally by real people on their smart phones, captured spontaneity and fun while showcasing Aquafresh Extreme Clean® as the best bubbling toothpaste experience.